This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art which may be related to various aspects of the present invention which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In existing video systems, video content may be provided in a wide variety of aspect ratios (the ratio of the length of viewable display area to the height of viewable display area). Moreover, there is no standard aspect ratio for video content. Popular aspect ratios include 1.33:1 (4:3), 1.66:1 (15:9), 1.78:1 (16:9), 1.85:1 and 2.35:1, to name just a few examples.
Most display systems have a display device with a fixed aspect ratio. This means that a displayed image may appear distorted to a viewer if the native aspect ratio of the video content is different from the aspect ratio of the display device. Another potential problem is the display of “black bars” (areas where no video content is present) at the top and bottom or sides (or both) of a displayed image having a different aspect ratio. This results in a smaller video display, which can cause viewer dissatisfaction. Some known systems have “zoom” features, which perform an adjustment on displayed video to better accommodate the showing of video content from a source having a different aspect ratio. However, the large number of aspect ratios currently available could render the use of such “zoom” features cumbersome and ineffective for at least some aspect ratios. Moreover, the user may be forced so choose from among several display options by trial and error to find the desired setting. An improved system and method for formatting video data having a different native aspect ratio relative to a display device is desirable.